Archive for 'Bed Bug Protection'

Not only can bedbugs affect your night's sleep and cost you time and money in removal services, but apparently they can help you rack up quite the legal fees, too!

According to OakPark.com, a Massachusetts couple is being sued by the owner of a hotel who claims that their complaints of bedbugs were patently false. Michael Gladstone and Liora Braun stayed at the hotel back in April, during which time they complained to hotel management about the presence of bedbugs. The owner assured them that there were no pests, and a local pest control company confirmed as much later. The couple persisted, however, posting a negative review on Tripadvisor.com, which has led to the lawsuit.

"At least two, but possibly thousands, of potential customers have been dissuaded by the review posted by the defendant," the complaint states.

If you have got your own bedbug problem to deal with, there are a number of treatment methods available. Mattress encasements are designed specifically to keep the pests out of your box spring, and are an excellent first line of defense in bed bug protection.

According to KAFE in Minneapolis, summertime almost inevitably leads to complaints of bedbugs skyrocketing.

"We see more calls towards the end of the summer," pest controller Todd Leyse tells the news source. "People are traveling and they bring them back with them."

Children go to summer camp, parents and grandparents take vacations abroad and students return home from college. There's so much moving around in the summer that it becomes that much more difficult to keep the pests from being introduced to a new environment. Some pest control services are reporting an increase of 80 percent in bedbug infestations.

If you're worried about bringing bedbugs into your own environment, there are steps you can take to help keep them at bay. Be diligent about placing your luggage on racks when you travel, rather than the floor or bed, and check your stuff regularly for signs of bedbugs. Use bed bug mattress covers to keep them from making their way into your box spring, too. With the right preventative measures, you can avoid the nightmare that is a bedbug infestation.

According to the Wall Street Journal, New York City is once again number one on Terminix's list of the most bedbug-prone cities in the United States. The dishonor came with NYC beating out Cincinnati, Detroit and Philadelphia for the most infestations. In fairness, the news source states that Orkin, one of Terminix's chief competitors, only ranked New York as seventh worste.

The rankings are based on the number of customer complaints and infestation discoveries among the company's U.S. branches. Although Terminix was unwilling to release specific numbers, they did say that the problem appeared to be worsening.

"It’s a larger and larger problem each day," entomologist Bob Young told the news source. "College students seem to bring them home with them."

If you're concerned about your own bedbug situation, it may be time to invest in a specialized mattress encasement, which will keep the pests from making their way into your box spring. There are also pillow covers available that will keep bedbugs at bay. By taking the right precautions, you can avoid having to deal with an infestation during the hot summer months.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes are making their way to Philadelphia this week to take a bedbug location certification test, according to SeattlePI. The news source reports that hundreds of people are taking part in the upcoming National Canine Conference.

Part of the event involves 30 dogs and their handlers going for official bedbug detection certification. Essentially, dogs are tasked with walking down a hotel hallway and sniffing containers, some of which contain bedbugs. Those who pass will be able to move on to help homeowners who are worried about an infestation.

Bedbugs are particularly tough pests to deal with. The apple seed-sized bugs burrow their way into mattresses and box springs and can breed incredibly fast. Because they are so difficult to wipe out, taking preventative measures is vital. Using special mattress encasements that are designed to keep bedbugs from hiding is an effective tool.

Taking the right steps towards bedbug protection is important for peace of mind. With proper care, these pests won't have to be a problem this summer.

According to the Washington Post, demand for dogs specially trained to sniff out bedbugs has skyrocketed. As we make our way into the warm summer months, infestation numbers are once again on the rise, and the pest industry has begun offering certification to companies that want to ensure their pooches can get the job done.

Although bedbugs do not emit a scent that humans can detect, with three weeks of training a dog can be taught to root out the tiny insects. In fact, dogs are among the most effective method of detecting the presence of bedbugs.

"[The increase in demand] has been the most dramatic of any canine scent detection since bomb dogs after 9/11," David Latimer, owner of a canine scent detection business, told the news source.

If you are concerned about bedbugs, there are steps you can take to protect yourself against infestation. Specialized mattress encasements can help keep them from penetrating into your box spring and pillow covers can further keep them at bay. With the right protection, bedbugs can be stopped in their tracks before they become a problem.

With the number of reported bedbug infestations steadily on the rise, it's more important than ever that homeowners understand the steps they can take to prevent the pests from ever making their way into their houses.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is advising that people educate themselves on ways to prevent an infestation from taking over a home in the first place.

"While it may be easier said than done, it is always important for consumers to know how to prevent and control a pest problem,” says Toby Barfield, president and CEO of BBB in Eastern North Carolina.

The BBB recommends using mattress encasements to prevent bedbugs from hiding in box springs. Homeowners should regularly check their covers for rips and mend them accordingly.

When traveling, always use luggage racks rather than placing suitcases directly on the bed. It's also a good idea to unpack directly into the washing machine to make sure any pests are killed before taking root in your home.

Bedbug protection is all about being proactive, and with a certain amount of caution they can be prevented from ever becoming a problem.

Terminix, one of the largest exterminator chains in the country, has released its list of the cities most prone to bedbugs. According to USA Today, unsurprisingly, New York City tops the list for the second year in a row. Cincinnati and Detroit follow closely behind.

The number of bedbug infestations has increased from last year, likely due to heightened awareness from homeowners. More people are on the lookout for the pests and as a result more cases are being reported.

"People are more aware and communicating about the issue," Paul Curtis, an entymologist for Terminix, told the news source. "[But] there's still a stigma attached to having bed bugs."

Companies like Terminix and Orkin have set up special websites for those looking for information on bedbug prevention.

Although there is no silver bullet that can decisively rid a household of bedbugs, there are steps that homeowners can take to keep themselves safe. Prevention is the most effective method of dealing with bedbugs, so do the work now to prevent a big hassle later on.Specialized mattress encasements are available that help prevent them from burrowing into box springs.

According to PopSci, inventor Chris Goggin has always had a knack for recognizing the need for a new device when he sees it. Two years ago, he noticed that bedbugs were receiving more and more media coverage and realized that the world needed an affordable and reliable method to detect the pests.

Bedbugs don't respond to poisonous "bombs" the way cockroaches or mice do, so a more direct method of extermination needs to be applied, which is difficult given how well they hide. The news source reports that it can take an exterminator nearly an hour to properly inspect a room for bedbugs. Goggin's device, the Bed Bug Detective, does the same work in 15 minutes.

The Detective essentially acts as a dog's nose, picking up the specific pheromones given off by bedbugs. Goggins used his own cocker spaniel, Nina, to study how a dog's olfactory system works, which can sniff out bedbugs with 98 percent accuracy.

If you've got bedbugs of your own to deal with, you can find relief by using specialized mattress encasements that keep them from getting into your box spring, one of the many steps you can take to help prevent bedbugs from infiltrating your home.

The results of a study published in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science suggest that a good night's sleep helps the brain reorganize and consolidate memories, which inevitably helps it to pick out emotionally-significant moments and facilitate the creative process.

"Sleep is making memories stronger," says co-author Jessica Payne of the University of Notre Dame. "It also seems to be doing something which I think is so much more interesting, and that is reorganizing and restructuring memories."

Payne continued to say that sleep is often the first thing to go in an increasingly fast-paced society and that this comes from a profound misunderstanding as to just how important it can be. There is a notion that a sleeping mind isn't doing anything, which the author hopes to prove is untrue.

If you're looking for a good night's sleep but suffer from allergies that have you tossing and turning for hours, there are ways to improve your situation. Mattress covers and allergy-free pillows can help keep irritating allergens at bay long enough for you to enjoy a restful and reinvigorating night in bed.

Researchers have found that the media attention surrounding bedbug infestations in recent years may increase one's risk of mental health problems and worsen those already predisposed to psychiatric conditions.

According to ABC News, scientists examined ten subjects who had recently been forced to deal with bedbugs. Of those ten, six experienced some form of anxiety or depression, including controlled bipolar disorder and monosymptomatic delusional disorder, in which one images bugs crawling all over his skin.

Even those who hadn't actually been infested showed increased paranoia, possibly from the amount of coverage bedbugs have received in the media.

"The incidence [of bedbug coverage] in the media, in newspapers, magazines, TV reports, has been going up steadily since the year 2001, so there may be some media-driven frenzy," psychiatrist Dr. Evan Rieder told the news source.

If you're looking for some bedbug protection and peace of mind, there are a number of methods that can help keep the little pests at bay. For example, mattress encasements are specifically designed to stop them from making their way into your bedding, allowing you to sleep better and get the shuteye you need.